Consumer's Telegram February 2020

Insert of n. 13 - Editorial office: Centro Europeo Consumatori (European Consumer Centre Italy - Bolzano office)


CONSUMER RIGHTS

More transparency, more rights: "New Deal" for consumers

With the beginning of the new year the new directive (EU) 2019/2161 came into force in order to enforce and modernise the EU-consumer protection laws in accordance with digital development. Member states will have to apply these directives within the year 2021.
In future, e-commerce platforms will have to inform the consumer whether the seller is a private individual or a trader and warn the consumer that the regulations regarding consumer protection laws do not apply in the first case (private individual). Moreover, the online-platforms have to specify whether they are responsible for the delivery of the purchased items and, if necessary, for the procedure of the withdrawal policy in case of a cancellation.
Other innovations include the fight against incorrect ratings, a ban on the use of bots to automise online shopping and new legal remedies for victims of unfair commercial practices identified by the competent authority.
More information about this New Deal can be found on the website of the European Consumer Centre (ECC).


ECC-NET

Replacement of Goods and Withdrawal within the EU

Consumers very often raise the question whether one has the right to exchange already bought goods and whether one can withdraw from the contract. The colleagues of ECC Germany have summarised the legal situation within the EU. Consumers in the EU are allowed to withdraw from online purchases generally within 14 days as long as they bought from a professional trader and not from a private individual. If, however, goods were bought in a shop, neither the right of withdrawal nor of exchange will be applied. Only in Lithuania customers are allowed to return goods within 14 days after the date of purchase and receive a refund of the price. In most European countries, however, several shops and chains offer the exchange as a gesture of goodwill. You will find more information on the website of the European Consumer Centre (ECC) Germany.


ECC-NET

The Network of European Consumer Centres (ECC-Net) launches a Fifteen-Year Anniversary Campaign

The network of the European Consumer Centres is celebrating its fifteenth year of activity with an information campaign that will cover for twelve months topics of particular interest to European consumers: passenger rights, geoblocking and e-commerce are just some of the topics of the initiative. The issues of the campaign will be published on social networks of the European Consumer Centre Italy:
Facebook - Twitter: @ECCItaly - Instagram: ecc.italy - Youtube.


CASE OF THE MONTH
An Italian consumer booked a flight of an Irish Airline on the internet with the option Priority Boarding and two items of hand luggage included. On the day of departure he checked in at the airport and paid the designated fee. But that was not enough: he also had to pay a fee of 25 euros for the second piece of hand luggage. The consumer protested, but in vain. At the gate he was told that the fee was not due and that he should apply to the airline for a refund. The consumer followed the advice, but the disappointing answer was simply that fees that were already paid were not refundable. The consumer turned to ECC Italy asking for help, which sent the case to ECC Ireland. The Irish office received positive feedback within a few weeks and the consumer received the unlawfully paid fee back.